A beachgoer was killed and another was injured after a tree uprooted during a mini freak storm at the popular Granville Beach, Cedros, yesterday.
Police were still trying to identify the dead man last night, as he was said to have gone to the beach on an excursion lime.
According to reports, just around 1 pm several beach-goers were in the carpark when strong winds began swaying the trees.
The man was reportedly chatting with a woman who was in the driver’s seat of a silver Nissan AD Wagon when the tree fell. The man was struck on his head and fell unconscious while the woman was pinned inside the wagon.
Cedros councillor Shankar Teelucksingh said they contacted the Cedros Health Centre, but the nurse in charge said she could not release the South West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA) ambulance as it does not respond to emergencies. Teelucksingh said Cedros police eventually took the man, who suffered a severe gash to the head, to the Point Fortin Area Hospital. An ambulance eventually came and took the woman to the hospital as well. The man subsequently died at hospital.
“Just before the incident there was heavy rain and a mini freak storm. Since we opened the public convenience at the beach a lot of people have been coming here on weekends, so it is really sad what happened here today. These people that got injured are visitors.
“The tree that fell was at the edge of the car park and people usually park there for the shade. The tree itself looked good but now that it fell, it looks like the roots were a bit rotten and could not hold it up to strong winds,” Teelucksingh said.
Despite the forecasted rains yesterday, there were more than 150 people at the beach for the holiday weekend.
Police had not identified the dead man up to late last evening. Four families were also busy trying to secure their homes as three roofs were damaged and one completely torn off in Bamboo Village.
A St James family also escaped serious injury after a tree fell on their home during heavy rainfall and associated strong winds yesterday afternoon.
According to reports, around 2 pm the tree, located in a property at Bombay Street, was uprooted and fell on the side of the home.
The video of the aftermath, posted on social media yesterday, showed the tree caused partial damage to one side of the house. The family was said to be receiving assistance from neighbours yesterday.
There was also an incident at Mt St George Road in Tobago, where a large boulder fell onto the middle of the road during a minor landslide. No one was injured in that incident.